New onset burning smell while driving in suburban environment. Parked car, then it wouldn't start. Upon inspection found battery cables/sheath melting. Replaced battery, car started. Car parked and 1 hr later wouldn't start- new battery is dead. Replaced with 2nd new battery, hooked up cables and sparks came from battery (installed correctly). Car still won't start.
2003 Ford Focus: fire, smoke or burning smell
13 of the 977 complaints about the 2003 Ford Focus describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 13
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 89,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 15 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
I was using my passenger seat heater while I was driving to pick something up from the mall when I started smelling a burning smell. When I got to the mall,I looked over to find a large scorch mark on the passenger side front seat
While driving passenger side leather heated seat caught on fire filled the car with smoke in flames.
My daughter and wife were out shopping and turned on the seat warmers in the front seat. As my daughter was driving she began to complain of a smell of something burning in the car. Soon after realized her back side was hot ! Summary- driver side seat burn marks visible and her winter coat ruined; it burned it too. Why hasn't this been addressed with ford? Several complaints have been filed stating this exact description.
Both rear tail lights have melted the bulb socket and the light housing. My local ford dealer says this is not a problem and he has never heard of this happening. The vehicle's charging system is putting out about 15.5 volts to everything electrical he also says this is not a problem. Also while driving the car the cabin fills with the smell of burning rubber also again I was told this is no problem.
Vehicle caught on fire on april 12th, 2008. 2-3 hs after being parked on the street the vehicle was on fire. The cause has not been determined yet, but according to the fire investigation unit the fire apparently started near the console area.
Tl*- contact stated while driving the 2003 ford focus lx he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled to the side of the road and noticed that the vehicle was on fire. The fire department stated that the fire could have started from some faulty wire underneath the hood. The contact could provide pictures if needed. The failure mileage and current mileage were both 54,000.
Dt: the consumer had problems with the vehicle since purchase. The vehicle caught on fire on september 16, 2005. The motor was off, and it burst into flames. The fire department came and they said it look like it started from the wiring harness. The vehicle stalled before it caught on fire. Was having the same problem two weeks before, and took it to dealer. They replaced some ignition items. Also, was having latches, brakes, and engine problems.
Vehicle had fumes coming in. It smelled as if something was burning. Dealer checked the vehicle and could not find any defects.*ak consumer stated while driving still smell burning inside, it is pretty scary and wish something would be done about it.
Hatch release had to be replaced due to an electrical short. . Consumer was told that if it was not replaced, since connected to the electrical system, vehicle could catch on fire.*ak...also, replaced trunk release switch.
While driving 4 MPH, the consumer noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Suddenly, it caught on fire. The consumer was able to pull over and the fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. The cause has not been determined at this time. Please provide further details.
Purchased 2003 ford focus in september, 2003. There was not even 3,000 miles on this car. My husband drove it 2 blocks to the store on saturday, february 7, 2004, went into the store to get one item and only in the store 5 minutes, came out and my car was on fire under the hood of the car.
Service bulletins that may apply
- DTC P0316, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303 and/or P0304 - service tip
- Service wiring harness replacement guidelines - service tips
- Erratic instrument cluster gauges and/or warning indicators - service tip
- Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code P0133, P1131 or P2195
- Unable to remove ignition key - service tip
- Brake and anti-lock brake system lights on after hec (hybrid electronic cluster) replacement
- Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminated - system lean diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) - service tips
- Intermittent no crank condition
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Ford Focus fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2003 Ford Focus?
13 of 977 owner complaints about the 2003 Ford Focus (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Ford Focus?
There are 0 recalls and 15 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Ford Focus
Stalling 42Won't start 42Door locks 33Steering lock-up 28No deployment 26Grinding brakes 23Brake failure 11Engine failure 11Coil spring 8Jerking 8Loss of power 8Premature wear 8Tire blowout 8Ball joint 7Seat belt 7Slipping 7Won't shift 7Sudden acceleration 7Transmission failure 7Knocking 6Headlights 6Overheating 6Check engine light 5Fuel pump 5Power windows 5Water leak 5Wipers 5
VIN decoder
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